Windows Package Manager Now Supports Downloading Packaged Apps from Microsoft Store and Install using WCD

Let’s discuss Windows Package Manager (WPM) now supports downloading packaged apps from the Microsoft Store and install using WCD. Microsoft introduced version 1.8 of Windows Package Manager (WinGet), which added the capability to download packages from the Microsoft Store.

As you know, the Microsoft Store for Business will retire soon. Offline apps are the last significant function of the store on its path to full retirement. Offline Apps provides many features for users, like downloading packaged apps from the Microsoft Store for Business or Education.

Customers can download packaged apps from the Microsoft Store for Business or Education for distribution through alternate mechanisms like a Windows Provisioning Package using Offline Maps. Now, the offline app functionality will also retire.

However, the ability to download and distribute packaged apps from the Microsoft Store to devices with restricted connectivity to the store remains. This blog post will explain more about Windows Package Manager (WinGet).

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Windows Package Manager Now Supports Downloading Packaged Apps from Microsoft Store and Install using WCD - Fig.1
Windows Package Manager Now Supports Downloading Packaged Apps from Microsoft Store and Install using WCD – Fig.1

Can we Directly Deploy Win32 apps from the winget source via Intune

There was a question from the community about whether we could directly deploy Win32 apps from the winget source via Intune. The answer from Microsoft is that it’s not possible now, but discussions will facilitate this type of feature in future. However, Microsoft confirmed this is not part of their current roadmap or plan.

Windows Package Manager WinGet Now Supports Downloading Packaged Apps from the Microsoft Store

Windows Package Manager is very different from Offline Apps in the Microsoft Store. Unless explicitly disabled, all Windows devices will be automatically updated to this version. The download feature in WinGet is limited to packaged apps where the publisher has permitted offline licensing and distribution for organizations.

The app publisher, not Microsoft, controls this. All unpackaged apps published to the Microsoft Store are available for download. Packaged apps include UWP apps packaged in the AppX format and apps packaged in the MSIX format. Unpackaged apps include all Win32 apps packaged in an alternate format, such as MSI or EXE.

How to Download a Microsoft Store App using WinGet

You can use the WinGet command line interface(CLI) to download an app from the Microsoft Store. This is a straightforward method. Here, we can walk through an example of downloading the Microsoft Remote Desktop app, which is published by Microsoft and allows offline downloads.

Steps for Downloading Microsoft Remote Desktop App

Several steps are needed to download the Microsoft Remote Desktop App, each of which is very important.

First, locate the package you wish to download using the WinGet CLI. This is only an optional step; if you know the exact package name or ID of the desired package, you can skip directly to step 2 below.

winget search “remote desktop” –-source MSStore​

Windows Package Manager Now Supports Downloading Packaged Apps from Microsoft Store and Install using WCD - Fig.2
Windows Package Manager Now Supports Downloading Packaged Apps from Microsoft Store and Install using WCD – Fig.2

Use the new download command line option for the CLI and the package ID previously returned. By default, WinGet downloads files for the specified package to the Downloads subfolder of the current user’s profile folder. To override this location, use the—d or—- download-directory option on the WinGet command line.

winget download –id 9WZDNCRFJ3PS​

Scope of the downloaded package can be limited by using additional filtering options on the WinGet command line, e.g., use -a or –architecture to only download content related to a specific OS architecture.​

Windows Package Manager Now Supports Downloading Packaged Apps from Microsoft Store and Install using WCD - Fig.3
Windows Package Manager Now Supports Downloading Packaged Apps from Microsoft Store and Install using WCD- Fig.3

After that, you can review the initial information shown and accept the linked agreements by pressing Y and Enter. If the account is not logged into Microsoft Entra, you will be presented with a standard Entra ID authentication prompt and must successfully authenticate to proceed.

Different Required Roles used by Account
Different Required Roles Used by Account
User Administrator
License Administrator
Windows Package Manager Now Supports Download Packaged Apps from Microsoft Store and Install using WCD – Table.1
Windows Package Manager Now Supports Downloading Packaged Apps from Microsoft Store and Install using WCD - Fig.4
Windows Package Manager Now Supports Downloading Packaged Apps from Microsoft Store and Install using WCD – Fig.4

WinGet creates a new folder in the default or specified download folder named for the package ID you specified and then downloads the packages and their dependencies to this subfolder. Additionally, WinGet retrieves a license for the package, as all packaged apps from the Microsoft Store require a license.

Windows Package Manager Now Supports Downloading Packaged Apps from Microsoft Store and Install using WCD - Fig.5
Windows Package Manager Now Supports Downloading Packaged Apps from Microsoft Store and Install using WCD – Fig.5

Installing a WinGet Downloaded Package in a Windows Provisioning Package

Using packages downloaded by WinGet within a Windows provisioning package allows you to install the downloaded apps while provisioning a Windows device for management by Microsoft Intune.

Windows Package Manager Now Supports Download Packaged Apps from Microsoft Store and Install using WCD Fig 6.0
Windows Package Manager Now Supports Downloading Packaged Apps from Microsoft Store and Install using WCD Fig 6.0

Launch WCD, choose the Provision desktop devices option on the Start page and provide a name and location for the project.

  • Provide information on the setup device, network, and account management pages as needed.
  • For the Add Applications page, click Add an Application.
  • Provide the Application name, Installer path and License path for the application that you are adding.

Add all Required appx dependencies and click Add to finish. The following screenshot shows the completed Add Applications page in WCD for Microsoft Remote Desktop, including its x64 dependencies.

Windows Package Manager Now Supports Download Packaged Apps from Microsoft Store and Install using WCD - Fig.6
Windows Package Manager Now Supports Downloading Packaged Apps from Microsoft Store and Install using WCD – Fig.6

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Author

Anoop C Nair has been Microsoft MVP from 2015 onwards for 10 consecutive years! He is a Workplace Solution Architect with more than 22+ years of experience in Workplace technologies. He is also a Blogger, Speaker, and leader of the Local User Group Community. His main focus is on Device Management technologies like SCCM and Intune. He writes about technologies like Intune, SCCM, Windows, Cloud PC, Windows, Entra, Microsoft Security, Career, etc.

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